This invention relates generally to vermin traps using adhesive material to hold the vermin, and particularly relates to such traps having open faces and in which two traps are arranged in facing relationship in one package for transport and sale.
Adhesive, non-toxic traps for vermin such as mice are known. They comprise a shallow, flat plastic tray containing a thick layer of pressure sensitive adhesive material. The tray is set in any desired location and any mouse stepping on the adhesive becomes entrapped or entangled therein. The tray then is removed and disposed of along with the entangled vermin. These traps use adhesive materials that are generally insensitive to normal heat variations in a room but adhere strongly to objects to which they come in contact. An example of such a trap is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,584.
A problem sometimes occurs with these traps during handling of the trays when they are removed from their packaging. Forces applied centrally to the two facing traps of adhesive materials in the noted packages, can bring into contact the normally spaced adhesive materials of each trap. This causes the adhesive materials of each tray to flow and stick to one another. These forces generally result from the unintended squeezing of the trays between the user's fingers upon removal of the confronting trays from the packaging.
Previously, this problem was addressed by providing confronting contacting pins on the trays periphery to minimize the compressibility of the trays. These pins did not maintain the necessary spacing in the centers of the trays. Auxiliary separate spacers were sometimes placed in the center of the confronting trays to prevent the compression of the trays. To my knowledge, there has not been provided the uniquely shaped spacer ribs to be described which are formed integrally with the trays referred to. The trays in which the adhesive materials are carried and spacers used therewith need to be reliable and as inexpensive as possible to be competitive in the market and because the user will ultimately throw them away after entrapping or entangling the vermin. The unique spacer rib structure to be described reliably and inexpensively minimizes the compressibility problem referred to. These trays typically are formed of vacuum formed sheet plastic material in inexpensive molds. The spacer rib structure referred to is formed by these molds in a manner where the rib structure and other portions of the tray can be made to loose tolerances and yet the spacer rib structure will always contact the spacer rib structure of a confronting tray made from the same mold.